Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said being knocked out of the Champions League was nothing new for his club. David Klein / Reuters
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said being knocked out of the Champions League was nothing new for his club. David Klein / Reuters
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said being knocked out of the Champions League was nothing new for his club. David Klein / Reuters
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho said being knocked out of the Champions League was nothing new for his club. David Klein / Reuters

Champions League heartache not 'anything new' for Manchester United, insists Mourinho


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Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho insisted European disappointment is nothing new for the English giants after losing 2-1 to Sevilla at Old Trafford to crash out of the Uefa Champions League by the same scoreline on aggregate.

Wissam Ben Yedder struck twice in four second-half minutes on Tuesday to send Sevilla into the quarter-finals for the first time in 60 years as United suffered a first European home defeat since Alex Ferguson's Champions League farewell in 2013.

Mourinho was on the winning side that night as Real Madrid manager and also sent United out of the last 16 when at the helm of Porto in 2004.

"I've sat in this chair twice before with Porto, Manchester United out, and Real Madrid, Manchester United out, so I don't think it's anything new for the club," said Mourinho, who bristled at questions over his tactical approach.

"I don't want to make a drama of it. We have no time to be sad for more than 24 hours, that's football. It's not the end of the world."

The visitors were deserving winners as they controlled the game throughout, but had to wait for Ben Yedder's introduction as a substitute 18 minutes from time to add a clinical finish by taking his Champions League tally for the season to eight goals in seven appearances.

Ben Yedder put Sevilla in front two minutes later when he blasted into the bottom corner before heading in a second shortly after.

Romelu Lukaku reduced United's arrears, but it was too little, too late with Mourinho's decision to once again drop Paul Pogba certain to be scrutinised.

"In the first half we played a good game apart from the last 30 metres," said Sevilla manager Vincenzo Montella.

"In the second half we were more clinical with Ben Yedder, he made the difference today."

Mourinho sprang a surprise before kick off by recalling Marouane Fellaini at the expense of Pogba, who had also been dropped for the first game.

Sevilla dominated the vast majority of the first leg only to be denied by some stunning saves from David de Gea.

However, it was wayward finishing rather than the Spanish No 1 that prevented the visitors making the most of their ascendancy for most of the match.

Indeed, of Sevilla's 10 efforts on goal in the first period only one weak Muriel effort forced De Gea into making a save.

Mourinho's gamble on Fellaini appeared to have largely backfired as he failed to impose his physical presence on Sevilla's ball players in midfield.

Yet, the Belgian nearly made the breakthrough with United's best move of the opening period when he latched onto Alexis Sanchez's layoff and his powerful effort was turned behind by Sergio Rico.

The second period began in the same vein as the first with Sevilla on the front foot, and only a brilliant last-ditch tackle by Eric Bailly denied Correa a clear sight of goal.

Pogba, who cost United a then-world record £89 million (Dh457m) in 2016, was eventually introduced just after the hour mark with Fellaini sacrificed.

However, even the Frenchman couldn't kick-start the hosts and they were eventually made to pay.

Ben Yedder had only been on the pitch for two minutes after replacing Muriel when he finally broke the deadlock in the tie with a brilliant finish low into De Gea's bottom left-hand corner.

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"Manchester United have experience in the Champions League, it was a special game for us," said Ben Yedder.

"But I believed in myself, believed in the team and we showed we are a great team."

Mourinho responded by throwing on Anthony Martial and Juan Mata, but their attacking edge was needed far earlier as Ben Yedder soon put the outcome beyond any doubt when he forced home a corner at the far post despite a despairing effort by De Gea.

Lukaku finally got United on the board six minutes from time when he swept home Marcus Rashford's corner.

But it was to little avail as United have now failed to reach the quarter-finals for four straight years.

How to donate

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Where to donate in the UAE

The Emirates Charity Portal

You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments

The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.

Al Noor Special Needs Centre

You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.

Beit Al Khair Society

Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.

Dar Al Ber Society

Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.

Dubai Cares

Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.

Emirates Airline Foundation

Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.

Emirates Red Crescent

On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.

Gulf for Good

Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.

Noor Dubai Foundation

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).

The specs
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How to keep control of your emotions

If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.

Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.

Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.

FIXTURES

All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT)

Tuesday
Mairobr v Liverpool
Spartak Moscow v Sevilla
Feyenoord v Shakhtar Donetsk
Manchester City v Napoli
Monaco v Besiktas
RB Leipzig v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur

Wednesday
Benfica v Manchester United
CSKA Moscow v Basel
Bayern Munich v Celtic
Anderlecht v Paris Saint-Germain
Qarabag v Atletico Madrid
Chelsea v Roma
Barcelona v Olympiakos
Juventus v Sporting Lisbon